As a freshman, junior Erin Blum didn't intend to join a sorority. However, she decided to give Greek life a try and rushed to meet some new people. The now-president of Alpha Omicron Pi (AOPi) ended up loving it.
"When I came to college, it was the last thing on my mind. I didn't know if I wanted to be a sorority girl," she said. "But we did a lot of really fun things and I decided I really liked it."
This semester, over 100 girls expect to wear some ridiculous outfits, possibly make a scene or two, form close ties, and make a decision which will affect the rest of their college careers. They are the new sorority rushees and they entered rush this past Sunday.
This year's rush will take new measures to recruit pledges, in order to raise the number of students in the system. In order to give every house a fair shot at garnering interest among rushees, the Pan-Hellenic Council made a few changes to rush this year, creating a more neutral, less competitive process.
"We're trying to maintain neutrality from every house...and not talk up any house more than any other," said sophomore Andrea Perry, president of Alpha Phi.
One of these changes occurred on Pan-Hellenic Day two days ago, during which representatives of the houses didn't actually discuss which house they were in. Except for the presidents of each house, the sisters will not reveal that information for as long as possible.
This system, sophomore Carrie Gagel, president of Chi Omega, said is "probably a very good idea...so no rushees will get ideas of the houses before they've met all the sisters."
The number of rushees, Perry said, is a concern for all of the sororities. "Possibly sorority life in general might be less of an interest," Perry said, though she added that "we've actually had more rushees register this year...than we've had in a while."
Some freshman rushees acknowledge that they have heard some negative opinions and rumors about the Greek system, but that their contact with sisters has always been positive. Freshman Allison Cohen, who is rushing to meet new people, said that the sorority system seems more casual than other schools' systems.
"[The system] seems a little low-key. I like that better," she said, adding that she doesn't see "the stereotypical sorority girl" at Tufts. "The girls seem pretty nice," she said.
Freshman Amanda Selden's cousin was in a sorority during her four years at Tufts, and found the experience exciting and rewarding, though Selden has also heard the opposite. "I've heard different things. People who are in [sororities] all love it, but other people stereotype it as a bad thing," she said.
Other freshman rushees have found that everyone seems to have a different story about the Greek system. "What I've heard is [the sorority system] is a conformist system. I haven't heard too many good things," said freshman Lisa Sahegian, a rushee. "It really depends who I talk to. People who have actually been in [sororities] say good things and seem to have a more positive opinion."
Gagel doesn't think these stereotypes actually deter rushees too much. "I think it does" have a slightly negative affect, she said, "but once [the rushees] get a chance to meet everyone, they know that the stereotypes are just that - stereotypes - and they realize that we're real people."
Blum has found that these stereotypes circulate because of bad press from other schools. "At schools where the Greek system is really a big thing, [when] there is something big in the news about Greeks, it is something bad," Blum said. "[Media] never put in when a sorority does something good."
Stories like these then affect other schools' systems, she said. "[Bad press] hurts the Greek system as a whole in the nation. It's rubbing off a little everywhere," Blum added.
In order to combat negativity, the sororities are working together as a close group. The stereotypes about and divisions between specific houses are not really noticeable or true, Perry said. "When I was outside the system, I couldn't tell one house from another," she said. Once she officially entered the system, she did start to see those differences, but now as president, "the stereotypes are beginning to fade away. We're all pretty similar...that's how I felt in the beginning."
Blum voices a similar perception of the sorority scene. "I think there's definitely more of a emphasis on a cohesive unit at Tufts than other campuses. We all try to maintain unity," she said.
"We steer away from [having] competition among the three houses. There's distinctions among the houses, but we all have the same interests and want to do the same things," Blum added.
